Wrestling Dropped From Olympics

Part of the Games since 1896

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this week that it would drop wrestling from the 2020 Summer Olympics, marking an end for an event that has been a part of the Games since their founding in 1896. IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said that the committee voted to ditch wrestling after reviewing a report by the agency's program commission that analyzed the included sports according to 39 criteria, including ticket sales, television audience, and anti-doping programs.

Speaking to the New York Times, Olympic historian David Wallechinsky called the vote "a really stupid decision." "It was in the ancient Olympics. It has been in the modern Olympics since 1896," he said. "In London, 29 different countries won medals. This is a popular sport."

Wrestling will now have a chance to compete with seven other candidate sports, including squash and climbing, for a chance at reinclusion in the Games. However, the committee's decision to cut wrestling means that it's unlikely it will earn readmission.

0 Comments

Tesla CEO Slams 'New York Times' Review

Claims test of electric sedan was unfair

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called out the New York Times for what he believes is a dishonest review of his company’s new Model S electric sedan. The largely negative review, written by John M. Broder, makes the claim that the Model S does not possess the advertised range and performs poorly in cold weather.

However, Tesla monitors each Model S loaned to the media through the vehicle’s logging feature. “NYTimes article about Tesla range in cold is fake,” Musk tweeted on Monday. According to Musk, Broder’s Model S tells a very different story from his review.

No official data from Broder’s test drive has been released, but Tesla is planning to issue a statement detailing what happened. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Musk accused Broder of making several errors during the drive, including not fully charging the vehicle, driving into rush hour traffic, and driving over the speed limit. “You can’t do that, whether it’s a gasoline car or an electric car, and expect to achieve the top range,” he said.

The Tesla’s advertised range is roughly 300 miles per single full charge, but drops when driven over highway speeds or when the heating and cooling system is used.

0 Comments

Mountain Dew to Release Breakfast Soda

Will contain five percent fruit juice

One of the greatest things about being an adult is being able to, in theory, drink soda for breakfast. I say “in theory” because there has never been a “breakfast soda,” per se. Sure, a Dr Pepper with oatmeal (preferably poured into your oatmeal) is pretty much the ideal start to a day, but it’s never been a socially acceptable thing to do. Until now, that is.

The soda maker said it doesn’t think of Kickstart as an energy drink. At 92 milligrams of caffeine per 16oz can, Kickstart has 20 more milligrams than a comparable amount of Mountain Dew and about the same amount as a cup of coffee. Rockstar, a popular energy drink brand, boasts a whopping 276 milligrams of caffeine in each of its 24-ounce cans.

Kickstart will come in two flavors: energizing orange citrus and energizing fruit punch. It is scheduled for release on February 25. Mark your calendars.

0 Comments

Ligety Wins Gold at Ski Championships

Claims two titles this week

American Ted Ligety grabbed gold in two events this week at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Schladming, Austria. Ligety won gold in the men's super-G and then added on a win in the men's super-combined.

Ligety's last medal in the super-combined was his gold in the 2006 Olympics in Torino. Now he has set himself up to be the first male skier to sweep three titles at the Alpine World Ski Championships since France's Jean-Claude Killy in 1968.

Lucky for Ligety, his final event on Friday is the giant slalom, which is also his best event.